7 Songs To Reduce Anxiety According To A Neuroscientist
The fact that music exerts a strong influence on our mood is something that most of us already know or intuitively discover. There are several studies that prove this close relationship between music and emotions. The news now is that a British neuroscientist has claimed that we can listen to certain music to reduce anxiety.
Dr. Lewis-Hodgson, in association with the British laboratory MindLab International, has published a list of songs to reduce anxiety by up to 65%. He arrived at this list after a study of a group of 40 women volunteers. In the research, the brains of each of them were monitored while they were listening to music.
We also carefully monitored other bodily sensations linked to anxiety, such as heartbeat, blood pressure and respiratory rate. All volunteers, without exception, showed greater harmony in these indicators after listening to the songs to reduce anxiety.
What are these songs that are so good for the mind as well as the body? Dr. Lewis-Hodgson made a list of 7 songs to reduce anxiety. It doesn’t mean they are the only ones. The scientist simply looked for those that were popular in his environment and culture. Here are the songs, arranged in order of influence, from smallest to largest.
All Saints Pure Shorts
According to the Lewis-Hodgson rankings, All Saints’ song Pure Shores ranks seventh among songs for reducing anxiety. It belongs to the electronic pop genre and its lyrics specifically speak of relaxation.
This song was critically acclaimed around the world. It uses double bass notes, with dolphin sounds in the background. Some lists place it as one of the best songs of the entire 20th century.
Canzonetta Sull’aria by Mozart and Strawberry Swing by Coldplay
Sull’Aria, or “on the air”, is a short duet from the third act of the opera The Marriage of Figaro. It contains 62 bars and was used as the soundtrack for the film Sonhos de Fuga.
On the other hand, Coldplay’s Strawberry Swing has a particular tribal influence in its production. It was released in 2009 and won critical acclaim. For some connoisseurs, the music has a cadence typical of Japanese music.
Watermark by Enya, one of the songs to reduce anxiety
Watermark is part of Enya’s first musical album. Warner Music UK producer Rod Dickins was enchanted from the very first moment with this song. He went ahead of what science would say later, ensuring that it allowed him to sleep better.
The voices used in Watermark were superimposed 200 times. This causes Enya’s voice to become lost in a set of hypnotic and evocative sounds. The inspiration was her childhood memories, full of magic and fantasy.
Mellomaniac (Chill Out Mix) by DJ Shah and Electra by Airstream
The song Mellomaniac (Chill Out Mix) is a creation of Roger Shah, better known as DJ Shah. This German, of Pakistani descent, is known for some electronic music compositions. With Mellomaniac, he had one of his biggest hits.
Both this song and Electra from Airstream are in the song group to reduce anxiety. Research conducted at MindLab claims that they slow the heartbeat by up to 27%, and may even have analgesic effects on chronic pain.
Marconi Union Weightless
The song Weightless was rated the most relaxing in the world by the institution MindLab in 2011. According to surveys, this song is 11% more relaxing than any other. It was possible to prove that she reduced anxiety by up to 65%.
This shouldn’t surprise us, as Marconi Union deliberately used scientific theory to compose a particularly relaxing song. The British Academy of Sound Therapy has certified it so.
Of course there are many other songs to reduce anxiety. What they have in common is a complex composition, which basically has no repetitive patterns. This causes the brain to disconnect as it is not possible to predict the next note. Music is, therefore, another of the tools we can turn to in moments of psychological exaltation.
